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    <title>The Carl Household</title>
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    <h2><center>A Snapshot of the Carl Mentality</center></h2>

    <p><hr><p>

Here are a few links that will increase your knowledge about not
only myself, but my family as well.  Why you desire such knowledge
is beyond me, but perhaps somebody will find it interesting:

<UL>
<LI><!WA0><A HREF ="#1995">1995 year in review</A>
<LI><!WA1><A HREF ="#1994">1994 year in review</A>
<LI><!WA2><A HREF ="#reading">Our Reading and Listening Pleasures</A>     
<LI><!WA3><A HREF ="#family">Gratuitous Family Facts</A>
</UL>

<hr>

<a name="1995">

<H3>The Year's Events - 1995</H3>

This was <em>supposed</em> to be the last year of Graduate School, and as
far as course work is concerned, it was.  But there's this thing called a
thesis, see...let's just say it still isn't written.  But the background work,
which has involved extending a Scheme interpreter to handle <!WA4><A HREF="http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/esteban/Thesis/intro.html">Right-Thinking Macros</A> (also known as Syntactic Exposures), is now basically
done.  All that remains is the write-up!
<P>

Otherwise, after a fully eventful 1994, this past year began to look like a very
bland outing.  Civilization hasn't fallen, post-election punditry notwithstanding,
due to the Republican majority in Congress.  Recruiters from PhD programs and
top software development firms didn't form a line outside my office door.  Despite
a strong showing in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, Rice's athletic teams didn't take
that next step as the football squad lost two four offensive starters en route to
a way-too-familiar 2-8-1 season.
<P>

However there were two events that have had some impact on the way we view things.
One is an ongoing thing, as we observe how Geoffrey is responding to school,
how that atmosphere changes him.  In the meantime Christie has continued reading
various education-oriented books as we try to determine whether the current
private education is the way to go, or if public or home schooling will work.
A very interesting argument for home-schooling was given to us by a fellow Rice
graduate.
<P>

The second event was the death of my grandmother, Vivian Coday, on Dec. 16th.
It may seem odd for a fellow working on an advanced degree to stand in sub-freezing
weather in a Missouri cemetery, mentally denouncing his cluelessness, but I don't
grade out so highly if the standard is the kind of life she lived.  She gave
a fine example.  She was also one of my greatest encouragers and supporters.
I know I could be doing much better.

<a name="1994">

<H3>The Year's Events - 1994</H3>

<P>
I'll briefly recap the year's events:  I began Graduate School in January, then there was
an eclipse in May which I saw for about 5 seconds during a break in the clouds, then a 
comet struck Jupiter over a period of days during the summer (a nice picture
of this event is <!WA5><A HREF = "http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/esteban/msso.gif">here</A>), then Rice beat Texas
in football for the first time since I was two (resulting in nature wreaking havoc as
heavy rains inundated Houston), then the Republicans became the majority party in the House of Representatives,
then I finished my first year of Graduate School.  Can't decide whether I should do this more often or not!

<P>
Closer to home, 1994 brought us <!WA6><A HREF ="http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/esteban/Images/amanda.jpg">Amanda</A>!
The 20th great-grandchild of Lena Chapman and
first granddaughter of Donald Royce Chapman was born on September 22nd, and has 
quickly won the heart of her daddy at the very least.  She is the inadvertent
namesake of my grandmother's great-grandmother, and also of a character in an
Albert Campion mystery novel...his wife actually.  She seems to take after her
oldest brother, physically at least, except that she's a much bigger baby at
this point than he was. 

<P>
1995 should be a pivotal year for us.  While we don't necessarily expect
the Owls to overturn Texas again (p.s. - they didn't), we do expect that I
will start a Thesis topic before long (p.s. - I did) and with any luck at all, finish
the endeavor by this time next year (er - I haven't).  What happens after that is
anyone's guess - I'm keeping my options open just now.  But even more importantly,
Geoffrey will begin his formal education in the fall and so the cycle continues.
I expect to encourage him to finish graduate school before having 3 children, some
years down the road (hopefully I'll be done by then!).
<p>

<a name="reading">

<h3>Current Reading and Music List</h3>

 <i>The Phantom Tollbooth</i>, the book I'd been reading the boys, has
 been finished, and we worked through most of <em>The Children's Book of Virtues</em>.  Now, Geoffrey's new interests in Texas history and the Civil War (you
should see the books he brings out of the school library!) have us reading
out of easy-reader biographies about Sam Houston and Abraham Lincoln.  I've 
also been able to cajole him into reading bit to me as well.
<P>

 I have two Campion short stories to go in <em>Mr. Campion and
 Others</em>, by Margery Allingham.  Great fun - British detective
 stories, set in mid-20th century London.  Maybe after the thesis is finished.
 [gripe - Christie read them without me !@*#&*]
<P>

 We finally got into <i>Strong Poison</i> by Dorothy Sayers.  Like
 the above in that it is British detective fiction set in the first
 half of the century.  Very good.  Then we read <i>Have His Carcase</i>
 which continues her storyline.
<P>

 Recently finished Wm. F. Buckley, Jr.'s last spy novel, <i>A Very 
 Private Plot</i>.
<P>

 Hoping to continue in the following before too long:
<UL>
<LI><i>Literate Programming</i> by Donald Knuth
<LI><i>Introduction to Functional Programming</i> by Bird and Wadler
<LI><i>The Conservative Crack-Up</i> by R. Emmett Tyrell
<LI><i>Reforming Marriage</i> by Douglas Wilson
</UL>
<P>

 Hoping to get the latest by Tony Hillerman, Buckley, and some
 philosophical stuff like Denning and Douglas Hofstaedter.  
 Christmas, maybe? [ps: Christmas has come, and I'm one Hofstaedter richer!].
<P>

 Music?  <i>The Bridge Between</i>, from the Robert Fripp String Quartet,
 is usually my drive-time enjoyment, alternating with King Crimson's
 "official bootleg", <i>B'boom</i>.  Lately, both have been bumped by
 Steve Taylor's <i>Squint</i>.  I finally got around to making a tape of
 it for my car, and now I can't get enough of it.
<P>

 At home you might hear <i>Brother Sun, Sister Moon</i> from the Cambridge
 Singers (John Rutter conducting, as always) to start the day or end
 it, or parts of Natalie Cole's <em>Unforgettable</em> album.  We recently
 added Newsboys to our "something completely different" list;  
 their album <i>Going Public</i> was produced by
 Mr. Taylor (who also worked on the lyrics - and you can tell!).
<p>

<a name="family">

<H3>The Family</H3>

There are five of us in the Household and I'm still trying to find time
to add some pictures of everyone.  Here's an 'old' one, of my first and
only daughter, <!WA7><A HREF ="http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/esteban/Images/amanda.jpg">Amanda</A>, taken late in 1994.
<p>
My wife is Christie Athena Carl nee Chapman (Rice '84) and the boys are
Geoffrey and Elliott.  Each child has the distinction of having been
born in a different state.
<p>
<UL>
  <LI>Geoffrey in 1989 in Iowa
  <LI>Elliott in 1991 in Colorado
  <LI>Amanda in 1994 right here in Austin, Texas
</UL>       

    <hr>

    <address>
      Email to <!WA8><a href="mailto:esteban@cs.utexas.edu">
      esteban@cs.utexas.edu</a>.
    </address>
    <em>
    <!WA9><a href = "http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/esteban">Back to my Home Page</a>.<br>
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